


Learning to Fly

by VathySkotadi



Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Akko is kinda dumb, Believing Hearts Zine, F/F, Fluff, Post-Canon, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:55:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,029
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28471254
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VathySkotadi/pseuds/VathySkotadi
Summary: Akko had finally managed to fly! There was still one problem, though: She had no idea how she'd done it. After a week of inconsistent bouts of managing to take off or face planting into the ground, Akko decides she needs someone to give her some extra guidance, which leads to a strange realization about the nature of her flying.
Relationships: Diana Cavendish & Atsuko "Akko" Kagari, Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Comments: 4
Kudos: 87





	Learning to Fly

With a deep breath, Akko’s grip on her broomstick tightened.

Eyes forward. Mind clear.  _ I can do this. I did it last week. I did this the day after that. It doesn’t matter that you didn’t manage yesterday, _ Akko thought. She bent her knees, focusing every bit of her short attention span into recalling the feeling from those times she’d managed to take off. 

The lightness. The excitement. The happiness.

Three. Two. One.

“Tia Freyre!” she yelled from the top of her lungs.

With a jump, Akko felt it. The flow of magic, the spell taking form, the moment in which her feet didn’t go back to the ground but—

Her feet hit the ground in an awkward position. She stumbled forward, her broom fell out of her hands, and she face planted into the dirt below. From the side, she could hear Sucy snickering at her failure.

She groaned, getting up and rubbing her face. “Stupid broom,” she mumbled, shaking her head. 

“Don’t worry, you’ll get it!” Lotte smiled at her.

Training outside of Luna Nova had gotten a lot more boring this past week. Since Akko had finally managed to fly, Amanda had grown bored and she’d taken to other activities during the afternoon. Maybe that was it. She wasn’t as motivated when half her group of friends was missing.

Then again, she had managed to do it without them around. When had that been? Ah, right, a couple days ago. Diana had given her a bit of advice and she’d done it.

“What did Diana say the other day?” Akko asked her friends as she picked her broom.

“Please read the instructions before attempting the experiment?” Lotte asked.

“Don’t talk with your mouth full?” Sucy offered.

“No! I mean, when I was practicing. She passed by and said something, I can’t remember it right now,” Akko prepared the broom underneath her again.

“Ah,” Sucy nodded. “Yes, she suggested you bend your knees a little more before takeoff. Then again, bending your knees has nothing to do with flying.”

Akko ignored the last part. Bend her knees? She’d already done that. Again, she tried to fly, but it was futile. Her ability to fly seemed to be as inconsistent as her transformations had once been. Only this time, Chariot couldn’t help her…

“Oh, that’s it! I need a teacher!” Akko snapped her fingers, the idea hitting her like a truck.

“Not a bad idea, Akko,” Lotte nodded.

“That way you’ll stop pestering us to come with every time,” Sucy nodded approvingly.

Akko narrowed her eyes, but even if Sucy’s response had been a bit mean, she was now excited about the prospect of someone teaching her. Now the question was, who should she pick?

Akko stepped into the western wing of rooms without a sound. She was a ninja in the night: unseen, unheard. Light slipped below some of the doors, but as she’d expected, the room at the end of the corridor was dark. She moved quickly but stealthily, paying attention to her senses, to see any movement, to hear anyone who might come outside, to smell the fear in… Ok, she was getting too invested in this ninja thing.

She reached the final door. Should she knock? That’d probably wake up Hannah and Barbara too. No. Taking out her wand, Akko quietly cast the transformation spell and turned herself into a spider. The world shifted for her as she shrunk and started seeing through four sets of eyes. It was confusing for a moment, but she adapted and slowly entered Diana’s room from under her door. Everything was dark and blurry. She had eight eyes, why was it so hard to see? Whatever. Once inside, she quickly undid the spell.

The inside of Diana’s room was deafeningly silent. Silver moonlight allowed Akko to see, but not in detail. The place smelled clean, like freshly done laundry and recently cleaned floors. She advanced carefully. Today was  _ not _ the day to trip. Come on, she could do this.

Almost miraculously, she managed to reach the little section of the room Diana had separated for herself with the bookshelf. Diana’s desk was, as usual, full of books and papers, and it seemed like the amount of scrolls and stuff like that in this area of the room was far too much for a single person to read. The bed, at the back of it all, held the figure of Akko’s objective. 

Inching towards it, Akko paused, looking at the sleeping blonde.

While covered mostly in shadows, her face was visible. Peaceful, relaxed, Diana’s normally stoic and serious expression had lost its edge, becoming far more  _ human _ , if that made sense. She looked perfect. It wasn’t often that Akko would have admitted Diana Cavendish to be half as good as everyone else said she was. But in that moment, confronted with such a vulnerable looking version of the cabbage-haired witch, she couldn’t deny that a part of her, bigger than she let herself believe, admired her as much as everyone else did.  _ Ok, now for the hard part. _ Akko took a deep breath.

She shook Diana’s shoulder ever so slightly. “Hey. Hey Diana,” she whispered.

In her head, this was going to take a while. 

Reality had other plans. Diana’s eyes snapped open, and in a movement that startled Akko, she reached behind her bed and brought out a wand, pointing with anger towards Akko. It was clear she didn’t understand what was going on, but when she saw the brunette, her anger turned to confusion.

Akko raised both hands. “I need to talk to you,” she whispered again, pointing behind her so that Diana understood she didn’t want to wake her teammates.

It stook a few seconds, but Diana got the message. With a flick of her wand, a small bubble was created around them. “Speak,” she said in a normal tone. “And you better have a good explanation to bother me at…” she paused, looking outside. “Two in the morning.”

Akko blinked, amazed. “You could tell just by looking outside?”

“Akko, focus,” Diana insisted. “Why did you come?”

Shaking off the surprise, Akko licked her lips. “Uhm…” she hesitated. “I… need flying lessons.”

A sepulchral silence fell upon them. Diana examined her, that stone mask she liked to wear becoming apparent. “I have a question first,” she said in an ice-cold tone. Akko nodded. “Why me?”

“Well, Amanda has tried to teach me in the past, but she’s… not very good at teaching. You, instead, helped me out the other day with a single tip!” Akko explained excitedly.

“Don’t raise your voice, my spell doesn’t suppress  _ all _ noise,” Diana was quick to point out. Akko pressed her lips shut. “Fine, I’ll… accept that feeble explanation, which I’m certain makes all the sense in the world to you. Not that I’d refuse to teach you, as we’re friends. But the really important question is: Why did you need to ask this of me at two AM?”

Akko chuckled. “Well, you’re always so busy during the day. So I figured, if I came and asked you to help me during the night, before everyone else, I’d manage to get a spot in your schedule!”

After a pause, in which Akko wondered if maybe she hadn’t said something wrong, Diana smiled affably. She had gotten a lot better at that during the past few months. “Oh, Akko,” she shook her head. “You didn’t need to disrupt my sleeping cycle just to ask for this. I will gladly take an hour or two to teach you.”

“Great,” Akko smiled, her chest swelling with gratefulness as she lunged forward to hug Diana. “Thanks Diana!”

“Akko,” Diana put a hand in between them, not allowing Akko to get all the way there. “I would also appreciate it if you let me go back to sleep. As you’ve said, I am a busy person and I have a full day tomorrow.”

“Oh, right,” Akko stepped back, feeling a bit ashamed. “So, when do we meet?”

Diana looked up for a moment. “Well, it’s Saturday, so there’s no classes. How early do you usually wake up?”

“During weekends? Somewhere around ten or so, maybe eleven…”

“Perfect, we’ll meet in the school grounds at eight in the morning,” Diana smiled.

Akko felt a bit of annoyance from her tone. “Uhm… sure…”

“And next time, please avoid coming in the dead of night.”

Akko yawned.

She was fairly certain Diana had picked an early hour as a bit of revenge towards Akko for bothering her while she slept, but she’d take it. Early morning coolness washed over her as she stepped outside, and of course Diana was already there. Suddenly, the cold didn’t seem particularly bad anymore. “You’re five minutes late,” she said. Her hair had turned golden in the morning sunlight.

“Sorry, I lost a sock,” Akko explained.

This explanation seemed to go completely over Diana, who pointed at the broom Akko carried. “It’s in the past. Now, show me how you normally take off.”

Akko moved with the alacrity of someone who’d woken up ten minutes ago and had desperately searched for single sock before running to meet with Diana. The blonde witch waited patiently as Akko mounted the broomstick and took a deep breath. “Thing is, I don’t normally take off. I manage to do it… sometimes. I’m not sure what’s going on.”

“Try it, then,” Diana insisted.

Akko closed her eyes. Focus. She could do it. “Tia freyre,” she said rather unenthusiastically with a jump.

She stayed up.

“Hey! I’m flying!” Akko exclaimed, excitement growing in her. “Finally!”

Diana examined Akko and nodded. “Now get back down.”

“Excuse you? I just got up!” 

“And now you’re going back down. Teaching you anything beyond learning to consistently take off would be futile. Baby steps,” Diana pointed at the ground with an imperiousness Akko couldn’t ignore, her blue eyes intense as she waited Akko to abide her command.

“Fiiiiine,” Akko said, landing reluctantly. 

“Now step off the broom,” Diana continued instructing. Akko took the broom with only one hand and rested it on the ground. “Now get back on it, take off again, and repeat.”

“What?!” Akko blinked. “You can’t be serious!”

“I am. Go on,” Diana continued. “Take off ten times in a row, if you do that, we’ll see how to move forward.”

A part of Akko told her she should argue with Diana. Another, smarter side of her told her she had asked Diana for help and she should do as she told her. Plus, it was only ten times, how bad could it be?

Sucy laughed.

“Two hours of  _ nothing _ but take-offs and landings? She was just messing with you, Akko,” she said as they walked outside after lunch. Akko’s arms and legs were sore from so much jumping and holding her broom.

“But I managed to take off nearly every time! I don’t know how she did it, but she’s good!” Akko felt the need to defend the time she’d spent on it.

“Well, at least I won’t have to hear you complain every time you hit the ground now.”

Akko nodded, understanding how Sucy felt. She got her broom. Diana hadn’t let her do anything fun today—she’d tricked Akko into repeating that over and over again—and now she carved some actual flying. Getting into position as soon as she stepped outside, she did exactly as she’d done so many times that same morning.

“Tia Freyre,” she said as she jumped, relaxing her legs.

Which was a mistake, for they hit the ground not ready for it, and as if it was a scripted sequence, she again fell forward. This time, at least, Sucy had the decency to catch her before she broke her nose on the concrete.

She was snickering. “I think someone needs to get more lessons,” she mocked.

“No way,” Akko said, pausing. “Tia freyre!” She yelled as she jumped again. Nothing. “Why can’t I do it? It’s the same as it was earlier today! Tia Freyre, Tia Freyre, Tia Freyre!” She repeated over and over, jumping, but as if a secret string had been cut, she no longer could get up in the air.

“Maybe Diana isn’t as good as you thought, eh?” Sucy asked with a smirk.

Akko frowned. “No, that’s stupid. I… I’m just going to go ask her about it, wait right here,” she ordered and turned.

“I can’t promise I will,” Sucy replied as Akko walked away.

“Diana!” Akko finally found her teacher as she crossed the inner patio of Luna Nova, directed towards some unknown, probably important location.

Diana paused, looking back at her. “Hello, Akko, short time no see,” Diana said.

“Diana, I can’t take off anymore,” Akko said. “I was just outside and for some reason I couldn’t fly.”

In response, Diana hummed. She crossed her arms. “That’s strange, you did wonderfully today. Try it again. If it doesn’t work, I’ll take some time off to help you again.”

“Don’t you have anything else to do?” Akko asked.

“More important than helping you? I don’t think so,” the smile she directed at Akko could have melted the coldest glaciar in an instant.

Nodding, Akko grabbed her broom. “See, I do the same as I did today. But when I cast the spell... Tia Freyre!” Akko shouted.

This time, she did fly.

Diana blinked in surprise. “It seems to be that you have it under control.”

Akko looked down. “How the heck…?” she didn’t understand.

Again, Diana hummed for a moment. “Maybe it’s a type of mental block. When you have high expectations of pulling it off, you don’t. But when you don’t try too hard, you do,” she suggested.

“Maybe…” Akko wasn’t so sure.

“Even then, it seems like I can’t actually help you a lot right now. If you’ll excuse me, I think it’d be best if I go on with my day.”

“Oh, sure,” Akko nodded, still in the air. “Uhm… Thanks?”

“No problem,” Diana waved elegantly before turning and leaving.

Akko went back to the ground, confused.

“Tia Freyre,” she said, trying to fly again. Nothing.

She froze.

Looking in the direction Diana had gone, Akko got a crazy idea. But… It couldn’t be.

Could it?

It could.

Now, Akko wasn’t a scientist. Or a proper witch. She didn’t know how to fly properly, or how these things were supposed to work. But over the course of a few days, she tested this theory that had sprung into her mind… and proved it to be true.

She could take off, but only when Diana was around. It made no sense. She hadn’t asked Diana for further classes, but she also had been sneakily trying to fly around her, and every time she’d managed to do it. Maybe Diana’s magic was so strong that she boosted Akko’s by proxy? But that was stupid. 

Akko was thinking about this while tapping her broom against the ground that afternoon. Diana wasn’t around, so she’d been unable to take off. 

_ Dumb broom. Dumb magic. Makes no sense, _ she thought, sitting. “Tia Freyre,” she said not even mounting her broom. She’d seen some others cast the spell and get their broom floating without even mounting them. Diana could probably do it. Akko sure as hell couldn’t. She sighed, frustrated, trying to piece together what was going on.

“You seem awfully moody today,” a voice came from behind.

It was Diana.

“How long have you been there?” Akko asked, surprised.

“A minute or two,” Diana said.

Akko looked at the unmoving broom. Wait, Diana had been there? But… “Tia Freyre.”

The broom floated.

“You seem to be doing fine,” Diana said.

“Yeah…” Akko’s eyes narrowed. Diana wasn’t one to pull pranks, but… No, no, she’d done it at times when Diana had clearly not been paying attention to her. But if she’d been around just before, why did it work now and not then? What had changed? Nothing, really. Just her saying hello and Akko noti…

Akko noticing she was there.

“Woah,” she said, looking at Diana. That… was it, wasn’t it?

“What is it?” Diana asked.

Akko stood, getting on her broom. “Tia Freyre,” she said again. She floated without a hitch. In the air, she turned to look at Diana. “It’s you.”

“Huh?” Diana cocked her head.

“What is it, you asked. You. I don’t know why, but… I can only fly when I’m around you. Or, rather when I  _ know _ I’m around you. Like… I don’t know.”

Diana, to Akko’s surprise, seemed genuinely unable to come up with an answer to that. “But that’s ridiculous. Flying is based on… Well, I’m not exactly sure. Belief, I guess, as we figured out not that long ago. But you believe in yourself more than anyone else I know of.”

Akko landed in front of Diana. “Maybe it’s not only my belief that powers my flying,” she looked at her broom. “I’m still affected by Fuel Spirit, right? And the first time I managed to fly, everyone was there. But, maybe more importantly, you were.” She looked up, meeting Diana’s eyes. “And I think… I trust you a lot. But…” Akko brought a hand to her head, everything starting to spin from her own convoluted logic. “I… Diana, do you believe in me?”

This made the blonde witch’s eyes widen. However, after taking a moment to compose herself, she considered her answer. She smiled at Akko in a way she’d never seen before. A way that made Akko’s limbs go weak. Had she always been this… beautiful? “Yes, Akko. I believe in you more than I believe in anybody else,” she explained.

Akko’s chest began feeling warm.

“I think the key to my flying has something to do with you,” she said. Diana’s eyes were such a deep blue. How had she never noticed before. “Would you mind helping me figure out why?”

Diana’s smile widened. “I would be very happy to do so,” she said in a soft voice.

Akko’s heart skipped a beat, and she wondered if maybe her broom wasn’t as dumb as she’d believed it was.

**Author's Note:**

> This was my piece for the Believing Hearts Fanzine!  
> It was really fun working on the project. And if you got it, hope you enjoyed my piece!  
> -Twitter: @BillErak (95% of this account is retweets of shitposting or gay stuff, check pinned tweet)  
> -Discord Tag: VathýSkotádi#1696  
> I'd really appreciate the _support!_


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